When you’re among the top players in your field, you need every advantage to help you stay competitive: Not just the best equipment, but anything else that relieves pain and stress, and allows you to play better. For top-seeded Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic, that extra help came in a somewhat unexpected form: a custom made mouthguard that he wears on the court and off. “[It helps] to not grind my teeth while I play,” said the 25-year-old up-and-coming ace. “It just causes stress and headaches sometimes.”

Mouthguards are often worn by athletes engaged in sports that carry the risk of dental injury — such as basketball, football, hockey, and some two dozen others; wearing one is a great way to keep your teeth from being seriously injured. But Raonic’s mouthguard isn’t primarily for safety; it’s actually designed to help him solve the problem of teeth grinding, or bruxism. This habitual behavior causes him to unconsciously tense up his jaw, potentially leading to problems with muscles and teeth.

Bruxism is a common issue that’s often caused or aggravated by stress. You don’t have to be a world-class athlete to suffer from this condition: Everyday anxieties can have the same effect. The behavior is often worsened when you consume stimulating substances, such as alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and other drugs.

While bruxism affects thousands of people, some don’t even suspect they have it. That’s because it may occur at any time — even while you’re asleep! The powerful jaw muscles that clench and grind teeth together can wear down tooth enamel, and damage both natural teeth and dental work. They can even cause loose teeth! What’s more, a clenching and grinding habit can result in pain, headaches and muscle soreness… which can really put you off your game.

There are several ways to relieve the problem of bruxism. Stress reduction is one approach that works in some cases. When it’s not enough, a custom made occlusal guard (also called a night guard or mouthguard) provided by our office can make a big difference. “When I don’t sleep with it for a night,” Raonic said “I can feel my jaw muscles just tense up the next day. I don’t sense myself grinding but I can sort of feel that difference the next day.”

Â An occlusal guard is made from an exact model of your own mouth. It helps to keep your teeth in better alignment and prevent them from coming into contact, so they can’t damage each other. It also protects your jaw joints from being stressed by excessive force. Plus, it’s secure and comfortable to wear. “I wear it all the time other than when I’m eating, so I got used to it pretty quickly,” said Raonic.

What's the most fun thing about back-to-school time? For many of us, it's the shopping! Those cool backpacks and colorful sneakers put smiles on a lot of young faces.Â While you're out buying new school supplies and freshening up your kids' wardrobes, why not freshen up their oral health supplies as well?

For example, it might be time for a new toothbrush. The American Dental Association recommends replacing toothbrushes every three to four months, or more frequently if the bristles are frayed. A worn toothbrush won't do as good a job cleaning teeth. And with all of the cartoon characters and superheroes available on toothbrushes, picking one out can be just as fun as choosing a new lunchbox or notebook!

While you're at it, check your kids' supply of dental floss as well. If they've run out, they might not have told you. As important as flossing is, it's not every kids' idea of fun. If you're having trouble getting your kids to use a spool of floss, why not try a disposable little tool made just for flossing? Flossers are super-easy to use, and these, too, come in all kinds of fun shapes and colors.

Here's an important item for the school athletes in your house: a mouthguard. Sports-related dental injuries account for more than six hundred thousand emergency room visits each year. If your child wears braces, a mouthguard may be particularly important. So please contact us about a custom-made mouthguard for your child — or if you have any other questions about oral health and hygiene. And have a safe and healthy return to school!

Is a chipped tooth big news? It is if you’re Justin Bieber. When the pop singer recently posted a picture from the dental office to his instagram account, it got over 2.6 million “likes.” The snapshot shows him reclining in the chair, making peace signs with his hands as he opens wide; meanwhile, his dentist is busy working on his smile. The caption reads: “I chipped my tooth.”

Bieber may have a few more social media followers than the average person, but his dental problem is not unique. Sports injuries, mishaps at home, playground accidents and auto collisions are among the more common causes of dental trauma.

Some dental problems need to be treated as soon as possible, while others can wait a few days. Do you know which is which? Here are some basic guidelines:

A tooth that’s knocked out needs attention right away. First, try and locate the missing tooth and gently clean it with water — but avoid holding the tooth’s roots. Next, grasp the crown of the tooth and place it back in the socket facing the correct way. If that isn’t possible, place it between the cheek and gum, in a plastic bag with the patient’s saliva or a special tooth preservative, or in a glass of cold milk. Then rush to the dental office or emergency room right away. For the best chance of saving the tooth, it should be treated within five minutes.

If a tooth is loosened or displaced (pushed sideways, deeper into or out of its socket), it’s best to seek dental treatment within 6 hours. A complete examination will be needed to find out exactly what’s wrong and how best to treat it. Loosened or displaced teeth may be splinted to give them stability while they heal. In some situations, a root canal may be necessary to save the tooth.

Broken or fractured (cracked) teeth should receive treatment within 12 hours. If the injury extends into the tooth’s inner pulp tissue, root canal treatment will be needed. Depending on the severity of the injury, the tooth may need a crown (cap) to restore its function and appearance. If pieces of the tooth have been recovered, bring them with you to the office.

Chipped teeth are among the most common dental injuries, and can generally be restored successfully. Minor chips or rough edges can be polished off with a dental instrument. Teeth with slightly larger chips can often be restored via cosmetic bonding with tooth-colored resins. When more of the tooth structure is missing, the best solution may be porcelain veneers or crowns. These procedures can generally be accomplished at a scheduled office visit. However, if the tooth is painful, sensitive to heat or cold or producing other symptoms, don’t wait for an appointment — seek help right away.

Justin Bieber earned lots of “likes” by sharing a picture from the dental office. But maybe the take-home from his post is this: If you have a dental injury, be sure to get treatment when it’s needed. The ability to restore a damaged smile is one of the best things about modern dentistry.

There are a number of ways to improve unsightly teeth. You can, of course, replace them with dental implants — but not if they're still viable. You can crown them: however, you'll have to significantly reduce their structure for the crowns to fit over them.

There is another less invasive option for teeth with mild to moderate imperfections — you can cover them with porcelain veneers. As the name implies, a veneer is a thin covering of dental porcelain bonded to the outside surface of a tooth. They literally put a “new face” on chipped, stained or slightly gapped teeth.

You'll first need a dental examination to ensure your teeth are reasonably healthy and that you don't have any significant dental problems that could interfere with the veneers. We can then design your veneers' shape and color to achieve the look you desire. We can also create a temporary “trial smile” with acrylic replicas of your proposed veneers to give you a realistic impression of your future smile.

The next step is the possibility the teeth need to be prepared for the veneers. Although quite thin, veneers can still make the teeth look larger or bulky. To compensate, we remove some of the tooth enamel. Although much less than for a crown, this alteration is still permanent: your teeth will need some form of restoration from now on. There are also “no-prep” veneers, which require no tooth surface reduction.Â Ask us if this is an option.

We then make an impression of the teeth, which with other information will guide a technician at a dental laboratory to manually create your new veneers. This can take several weeks and requires a high degree of artistry to produce a custom product that will match your teeth.

Once they've arrived, we'll use a permanent bonding process to precisely attach them to your teeth.Â It will then be up to you to care for your veneers, especially not biting down on anything hard that could chip or crack them. You should also maintain regular dental visits and proper oral hygiene to keep your smile as bright and attractive as possible.

Although small in size, veneers can make a big impression. They can restore the smile you once had — or give you the look you've always wanted.

When the multi-platinum recording artist, songwriter and TV personality Jason Derulo was recently asked about his ideal woman, his answer covered a remarkably broad spectrum. "There’s no specific thing," he said, "so I think it’s unfair to say what my ‘type’ is." But it turns out that there is one thing the So You Think You Can Dance judge considers essential: A beautiful smile.

"I’m not into messy teeth," Derulo said. "If the grill has spaces and different colors, it’s not my vibe."

As it turns out, he may be on to something: A number of surveys have indicated that a bright, healthy smile is often the first thing people notice when meeting someone new. Yet many are reluctant to open up that big grin because they aren’t satisfied with the way their teeth look. If you’re one of them, consider this: Modern cosmetic dentistry offers a variety of ways to improve your smile — and it may be easier and more affordable than you think.

For example, if your smile isn’t as bright as you would like it to be, teeth whitening is an effective and economical way to lighten it up. If you opt for in-office treatments, you can expect a lightening effect of up to 10 shades in a single one-hour treatment! Or, you can achieve the same effect in a week or two with a take-home kit we can custom-make for you. Either way, you’ll be safe and comfortable being treated under the supervision of a dental professional — and the results can be expected to last for up to two years, or perhaps more.

If your teeth have minor spacing irregularities, small chips or cracks, it may be possible to repair them in a single office visit via cosmetic bonding. In this process, a liquid composite resin is applied to the teeth and cured (hardened) with a special light. This high-tech material, which comes in colors to match your teeth, can be built up in layers and shaped with dental instruments to create a pleasing, natural effect.

If your smile needs more than just a touch-up, dental veneers may be the answer. These wafer-thin coverings, placed right on top of your natural teeth, can be made in a variety of shapes and colors — from a natural pearly luster to a brilliant "Hollywood white." Custom-made veneers typically involve the removal of a few millimeters of tooth enamel, making them a permanent — and irreversible — treatment. However, by making teeth look more even, closing up spaces and providing dazzling whiteness, veneers just might give you the smile you’ve always wanted.

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